How to remove pirated courses, videos and books from Telegram

Telegram takes copyright complaints about its public channels, groups, bots and sticker sets: if you own the copyright or are authorised to act for the owner, email dmca@telegram.org with a link to every channel, post or bot, and any user can flag a post with the in-app Report button. Telegram says it does not process requests about private groups and chats, though it treats private channels with publicly available invite links like public ones, and it decides on every report. In India you can also complain to Telegram's grievance officer at grievance-in@telegram.org, who must acknowledge within 24 hours and resolve within seven days under the IT Rules, and film producers can complain to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Removal from Telegram does not by itself clear search results, so file a Google copyright removal request for any t.me links in search at the same time.

Before you report: what to collect

Telegram's email routes work from links: it asks for links such as t.me/... or @... to the content.^1,2 Collect the following first.

• A link for every item. A public channel has a username and a t.me link, such as t.me/telegram, and each message in a channel has its own t.me link.^3,4 For a bot, note its @username. For a private channel, save its invite link and every public place where that link is posted.
• Identification of your work. Course and batch name, lecture titles, book title, edition and ISBN, or film title and release date, with a link to your official listing.
• Proof of authority. If you act for an author, institute, publisher or producer, keep the authorisation letter on file. Telegram wants copyright complaints only from the owner or an authorised agent, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's complaint form asks for the authorisation letter and, from a copyright holder, proof of ownership such as the CBFC certificate.^1,5
• Dated evidence. Screenshots or screen recordings of the channel's name, username and subscriber count, the posts carrying your files and any price or payment link, saved before you file, because the evidence goes when the channel does.
• A tracking sheet. For each channel, post or bot: the link, when you found it, when and how you reported it, any reply and the outcome, and which new channels replace removed ones. You will need this history if you escalate.

Where to report on Telegram, and what happens next

The routes below can be used together. Telegram decides on every report.

The Report button (anyone)

All Telegram apps have Report buttons that let users flag illegal content for Telegram's moderators. On Android, tap the message and select Report; on iOS, press and hold it; on Telegram Desktop, Web or macOS, right-click it and select Report. Then choose a reason, and add a comment if needed.^1,6 To cover a whole channel, a bot or many posts in one complaint, use email.

The copyright address (owners and their agents)

Telegram's FAQ says that if a bot, channel, sticker set or other content that is part of its public platform infringes your copyright, you should submit a complaint to dmca@telegram.org, and that only the copyright owner or an agent authorised to act on the owner's behalf should send it.¹

Telegram says that whenever it receives a report about potentially illegal public content, it performs the necessary legal checks and takes the content down when deemed appropriate, and that its moderators may block or delete users, bots, posts, channels and groups. It publishes no form for this route and no response time.¹ Bots that hand out pirated files fall under the same route: Telegram's terms for bot developers say a bot's content and functions cannot infringe third-party rights, nor enable any user to do so.⁷

The abuse address (anyone)

For illegal content generally, Telegram runs abuse@telegram.org, which it calls an automated takedown email address. Requests should include direct links (such as t.me/... or @...) to the content.^1,2 Users in the EU have a separate reporting page under the Digital Services Act.⁸

India: Telegram's grievance officer

Telegram names a designated grievance officer for India, at grievance-in@telegram.org, for public content that is not in accordance with the applicable IT regulations; any user, non-registered viewer or organisation in India can report there.^1,2 This route brings in the IT Rules' deadlines and appeal, described below.

Where a channel also uses your name, as channels in the Delhi case below used the educator's name and image,⁹ note that Telegram's FAQ points people impersonated by scammers to @NoToScam;¹ our guide to reporting impersonation on Telegram covers that route.

Where to report pirated copies on Telegram (checked 13 October 2026):

Writing a complaint Telegram can act on

Telegram publishes no form or required format for copyright complaints by email: it asks for links to the content and for complaints from the owner or an authorised agent.¹ Its address is dmca@telegram.org, but when we searched the US Copyright Office's DMCA designated agent directory on 13 October 2026, we found no entry for Telegram Messenger Inc., which Telegram's privacy policy names as the provider of its services, for its Dubai group company Telegram FZ-LLC, or for telegram.org.^10,11 Even so, the six elements that a US DMCA takedown notice must substantially include make a sound checklist:¹²

1. A physical or electronic signature of a person authorised to act for the owner of the right.
2. Identification of the copyrighted work, or, if one complaint covers several works on Telegram, a representative list of them.
3. Identification of the infringing material, with information reasonably sufficient to locate it: on Telegram, the t.me link or @username of each channel, post or bot.
4. Your contact details: address, telephone number and, if available, email.
5. A statement that you believe in good faith that the use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent or the law.
6. A statement that the information in the complaint is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you are authorised to act for the owner.

Add the channel's title, what it shares (full lectures from a paid batch, say, or a book's PDF) and whether it sells access. Be accurate: leave out licensed resellers and your own channels.

If you are in India: grievances, appeals and court orders

Telegram publishes monthly transparency reports for India under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.² The rules require an intermediary to make reasonable efforts by itself, and to cause its users, not to host or share information that infringes any patent, trademark, copyright or other proprietary rights; Telegram's terms for India list violating copyright and intellectual property rights among the things users agree not to do.^13,14 The timelines below are those in force since 20 February 2026.^13,15

• Acknowledgement and resolution. The Grievance Officer must acknowledge a complaint within 24 hours and resolve it within seven days of receipt (15 days before the 2026 amendment).^13,15
• The 36-hour track excludes copyright. Some removal requests must be resolved within 36 hours, but complaints about infringement of copyright and other proprietary rights are expressly excluded from that proviso, so plan on seven days.¹³
• Appeal. If you disagree with the Grievance Officer's decision, or your complaint is not resolved in time, you can appeal to a Grievance Appellate Committee within 30 days. Appeals are filed and decided online at gac.gov.in, only after the platform's Grievance Officer has been approached; the Committee endeavours to decide within 30 calendar days, and intermediaries must comply with its orders.^13,16 Telegram's India report for September 2026 gives 21,236 for "content removed following grievance reports" and 113 for Grievance Appellate Committee appeals.²
• Court orders and government notices. An intermediary that receives actual knowledge through an order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or through a reasoned written notice from an authorised government officer, must remove or disable access to the unlawful information within three hours (36 hours before the 2026 amendment).^13,15

The Copyright Act, 1957 adds a notice procedure for transient or incidental storage used to provide electronic links, access or integration (section 52(1)(c) and rule 75 of the Copyright Rules, 2013): the owner undertakes to sue and produce a court order within 21 days, and the recipient, if satisfied, stops facilitating access within 36 hours for 21 days or until a court order arrives.^17,18 Whether it fits a Telegram channel that hosts complete files is a question for independent counsel.

Films and OTT: the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

Sections 6AA and 6AB, added to the Cinematograph Act, 1952 in 2023, prohibit using an audio-visual recording device in a place licensed to exhibit films to make or transmit an infringing copy of a film, and using an infringing copy of a film to exhibit it to the public for profit at an unlicensed place or in a manner that infringes copyright. Section 7(1B) keeps open both the aggrieved person's own action under the Copyright Act and the government's action against intermediaries under section 79(3) of the IT Act.¹⁹

Under a public notice of 3 November 2023, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) set up nodal officers to receive complaints about pirated copies of films on the internet and to notify intermediaries to disable access. Copyright holders, people they authorise or anyone else can complain (a hearing may be held where the complainant has neither copyright nor authorisation). The notice lists the officers' contact details; its proforma asks for the complainant's details and authorisation letter, the film, its original copyright owner, each URL and the intermediary hosting it, with an Excel sheet for many URLs.⁵ The Ministry's Joint Secretary (Films) is authorised to issue takedown notices to intermediaries under the IT Rules and the Cinematograph Act.²⁰

The route has been used against Telegram in bulk. The Ministry told the Lok Sabha that Telegram was notified on 11 March 2026 to disable access to 3,142 channels publishing, without authorisation, content owned by or licensed to content owners, OTT platforms and producers, and, on 5 August 2026, that intermediaries had been directed to disable 7,393 URLs for film piracy, including 4,996 Telegram channels and 1,263 websites.^20,21 The mechanism is set up for films; whether it covers recorded lectures is a question for independent counsel.

Getting t.me links out of Google search

Public channels have t.me links that Telegram suggests posting on social networks, and each post has its own t.me link.^3,4 Where those links, or pages copying a channel, appear in Google results, de-listing them is a separate request to Google, which removes search results that link to infringing content.²²

• Where to file. Use Google's copyright removal form for Search (you sign in with a Google Account or verify an email address first). Google says the form is consistent with the DMCA and serves copyright owners in countries and regions around the world.^22,23
• What happens. Google acts on clear and specific notices and may decline URLs that do not infringe or lack enough information, and URLs where it does not find the content referenced in the request. Its average processing time for Search requests made through the web form is approximately six hours, though delivery method, language and completeness affect individual requests.²²
• File alongside the Telegram complaint. Send the Google request when you report to Telegram, while the copy is still live. If a page Telegram has already removed still appears in results, Google's Refresh Outdated Content tool asks it to update the result.^22,24
• File before it ranks. Google accepts notices for URLs not yet in its index, so that a reported page does not surface later when crawled.²²
• Expect publicity. Google shares copies of qualifying notices with the Lumen database, and site owners can file a counter-notice to seek reinstatement.²²

Rights holders with a justified need for a high-volume tool and a track record of accurate notices can apply to Google's Trusted Copyright Removal Program, which offers bulk uploads, no CAPTCHA, a status dashboard and an aim of a 24-hour average turnaround; admission is at Google's discretion.²⁵

When reports aren't enough

New channels keep appearing

In CS(COMM) 282/2020, an author of books for competitive-examination students and the coaching company she founded told the Delhi High Court that after they emailed abuse@telegram.org and dmca@telegram.org, Telegram took some channels down, but others continued and new ones came up almost daily. The court noted that users were creating new channels and running them in private mode, masking their identity, and charging for the material.⁹

Report each new channel and link it in your records to the one it replaces, by branding, files or payment details. In its guidance for EU users, Telegram says its Global Search ranks channels and groups by subscriber count, lists verified accounts first and prioritises results from the user's country, so check first the channels your students would find first.⁸ Telegram also takes reports of search terms that may be used to find illegal content in your country, through its official @SearchReport bot.⁶

The channel is private

Telegram's copyright answer says private groups and chats are private amongst their participants and that it does not process requests related to them.¹ Its channels FAQ adds that private channels with publicly available invite links will be treated in the same way as public channels in content disputes, so record where each invite link is published.³ The Delhi High Court has gone further. In the same case, an interim order of 23 September 2020 directed Telegram to take down the listed channels "irrespective of the fact whether they are private or public channels", and the 2022 ruling records that Telegram had blocked infringing channels, including private channels, without demanding further proof.⁹

You need to know who runs the channel

Telegram's privacy policy says it may disclose a user's IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities on a valid judicial order confirming that the user is a suspect in a criminal case involving a breach of its terms.¹⁰ In the Delhi suit, the High Court went further. On 30 August 2022, deciding the plaintiffs' application for discovery, it rejected Telegram's argument that it could not disclose the data because its servers are in Singapore, and directed Telegram to disclose the details of the channels and devices used, including mobile numbers, IP addresses and email addresses, in a sealed cover. It acted on a prima facie case of infringement: the ruling decided an interim application in a pending suit and did not decide the suit itself.⁹

Under the Copyright Act, 1957, doing without a licence anything the Act reserves to the owner infringes copyright (section 51). The owner can seek an injunction, damages and accounts, and knowing infringement is an offence punishable with imprisonment of six months to three years and a fine of fifty thousand to two lakh rupees, or less where it was not for gain in the course of trade or business and the court records adequate and special reasons.¹⁷ Where the operator is identifiable, such as a business reselling your material, a legal notice sent through independent counsel can be a first step. The right route depends on who and where the operators are, the scale of the loss and your evidence, so consult independent counsel before escalating.

The channel owner disputes the takedown

Telegram describes no counter-notice procedure; its FAQ tells anyone who thinks Telegram banned their bot, channel or sticker set for no apparent reason to write to abuse@telegram.org.¹ Keep your evidence and complaint history in case Telegram asks for more or a channel returns.

Doing this at scale

For one course or title, the steps above are manageable by hand. For an edtech company with many batches, a publisher with a backlist or a studio with a release calendar, they become continuous work: find the channels and bots, capture evidence, file through each route, follow up, and check for replacements.

• Group links by work. Send one complaint per course, book or film, listing every link, in the same structure each time.
• Use each route for what it does, as in the table above, and apply to Google's Trusted Copyright Removal Program once volumes justify it.²⁵
• Watch Telegram search, not only the channels you know. Check the names and terms your students would search for, and report search terms through @SearchReport.^6,8
• Make leaks traceable. Consider marking each buyer's copy with their name or ID, so that a leaked file shows which account it came from; How to protect your online course from piracy covers other measures.
• Close the loop. Re-check each link after you report it, record the outcome, and search again for the same title under new channel names.

Bytescare runs this cycle for edtech companies, publishers and studios: monitoring Telegram channels and search on your plan's scan cycle, the notices you approve, complaints through the grievance channels that intermediaries must provide in India, search de-listing requests and, if you choose, legal escalation through independent counsel. Each platform decides on removal. Our anti-piracy service page explains how. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Bytescare is not a law firm; for a specific dispute, consult independent counsel.

FAQs

Further reading

• How to remove pirated books and course PDFs from Scribd, Studypool, Issuu and Yumpu
• Copyright Infringement Takedown Notice

Sources

1. Telegram FAQ ("There's illegal content on Telegram. How do I take it down?", "A bot or channel is infringing on my copyright. What do I do?", "Do you process take-down requests from third parties?", "My bot or sticker set was banned unfairly, what do I do?", "India: designated grievance officer", "Measures we may take under the Terms of Service") · Telegram · accessed 2026-10-13
2. Telegram’s India Monthly Transparency Reports (How to report illegal content in India; statistics for September 2026) · Telegram Messenger Inc · accessed 2026-10-13
3. Channels FAQ ("How are private and public channels different?", "How do I add people to my channel?") · Telegram · accessed 2026-10-13
4. Deep links ("Message links") · Telegram API documentation · accessed 2026-10-14
5. Nodal Officers for issue of notifications to intermediaries for removing internet links showing pirated films under the Cinematograph Act, 1952 (public notice No. M-11017/1/2023-DO(FC), 3 November 2023, with the list of nodal officers and the complaint proforma) · Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India · accessed 2026-10-13
6. Telegram Safety Overview ("How can I report content on Telegram?") · Telegram · accessed 2026-10-13
7. Telegram Bot Platform Developer Terms of Service · Telegram · accessed 2026-10-13
8. User guidance for the EU Digital Services Act (How to report illegal content; Recommender systems) · Telegram · accessed 2026-10-13
9. Neetu Singh & Anr. v. Telegram FZ LLC & Ors., CS(COMM) 282/2020, judgment of 30 August 2022 on I.A. 8461/2020 (interim application for discovery; the suit continued) · High Court of Delhi · accessed 2026-10-13
10. Telegram Privacy Policy (sections 1, 8.2 and 8.3) · Telegram Messenger Inc. · accessed 2026-10-13
11. DMCA Designated Agent Directory (searched for Telegram, Telegram Messenger, Telegram FZ and telegram.org, terminated designations included) · U.S. Copyright Office · accessed 2026-10-13
12. 17 U.S. Code § 512 - Limitations on liability relating to material online (subsection (c)(3)) · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed 2026-10-13
13. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 [updated 10.02.2026, Corrigenda 26.02.2026] · Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India · accessed 2026-10-13
14. Terms of Service (as served to visitors from India; telegram.org/tos redirects there) · Telegram · accessed 2026-10-13
15. Frequently Asked Questions on the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026 (10 February 2026) · Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India · accessed 2026-10-13
16. Grievance Appellate Committee portal · Grievance Appellate Committee, Government of India (hosted by NIC) · accessed 2026-10-13
17. The Copyright Act, 1957 (IP India consolidated text; sections 51, 52, 55 and 63 cited here are current) · Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (IP India) · accessed 2026-10-13
18. The Copyright Rules, 2013 (rule 75, unchanged by the 2021 amendment) · Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (IP India) · accessed 2026-10-13
19. The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 (No. 12 of 2023), Gazette of India Extraordinary, 4 August 2023 (sections 6AA, 6AB and 7(1B)) · Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department), Government of India · accessed 2026-10-13
20. Cinematograph (Amendment) Act and IT Framework Strengthen Anti-Piracy Enforcement; 7,393 URLs, including 4,996 Telegram Channels and 1,263 Websites, Disabled (5 August 2026, Release ID 2294899) · Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting · accessed 2026-10-13
21. Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 Strengthens Anti-Piracy Framework; Offenders Face Up to 3 Years Imprisonment and Fine up to 5% of Production Cost (18 March 2026, Release ID 2241712) · Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting · accessed 2026-10-13
22. Google Search removals due to copyright infringement FAQs · Google Transparency Report Help Center · accessed 2026-10-13
23. Report content on Google: copyright removal form for Google Search · Google · accessed 2026-10-13
24. Refresh outdated content · Google Search Help · accessed 2026-10-13
25. Trusted Copyright Removal Program Guidelines · Google Legal Help · accessed 2026-10-13